Consortium pushes ahead on small nuclear reactor efforts

Two University of Missouri campuses with experience in the nuclear energy industry will conduct research as part of a consortium on small modular reactors.

The consortium, founded by Ameren and Westinghouse Electric Co., will be led by the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, with a satellite center in Columbia at MU. Joseph Smith, who holds the Laufer Chair of Energy at Missouri S&T, will serve as executive director.

Small modular reactors, or SMRs, have been of interest in Missouri as a potential driver of new industry and research. The reactors, smaller than current nuclear power plants, are expected to be more cost-effective, and a proposal by Ameren and Westinghouse last year to build one in Missouri failed to draw initial federal funding. However, the parties involved, including UM, have not given up on pushing such a project forward and are awaiting further word on the next round of funding.

The Small Modular Reactor Research and Education Consortium will initially focus on key areas including establishing computer-aided engineering tools to evaluate SMR design and operation, helping regulatory agencies to develop SMR licensing, and supporting the development of materials, research and technology for SMR design.

"The consortium as a whole will work together on projects that are specific to each company," Smith said.

Smith said there are many companies with potential to become members of the consortium, and he could see the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the University of Missouri-Kansas City as members in the future as well.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to award as much as $452 million to design and build SMRs. DOE had plans to give two awards, but in November it gave a single award to the Tennessee Valley Authority and Babcock & Wilcox.

Although Ameren and Westinghouse's proposal for a Missouri project lost out on the first bid, Rob Duncan, vice chancellor for research at MU, said there was already talk of another solicitation for major funding from the federal government for SMRs.

"That solicitation has come … and in fact, we are an associate with Ameren and Westinghouse again in a proposal that we hope will prevail this time," Duncan said.

The next round of funding from DOE is expected to be around $150 million, and Smith said he hopes to hear something back by early September.

The consortium received a $250,000 grant from the Missouri Technology Corp., a public-private partnership created by the Missouri General Assembly to promote entrepreneurship and foster growth of high-tech companies. According to a news release, the grant will be used to establish and enhance the consortium, initially providing a 50 percent match for consortium membership fees.

"The state is very appropriately making sure that once this major effort in SMRs design and construction gets going that we anchor the financial benefits and the jobs, as best we can, here in Missouri," Duncan said.

This article was published in the Tuesday, July 30, 2013 edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "Schools lead SMR alliance: Nuclear energy effort continues."

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.